


Crookshanks' Christmas Gift

by Viridiantly



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cottage prawn, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Just Add Kittens, Post-War, severus' neurotic tendencies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28074321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridiantly/pseuds/Viridiantly
Summary: “No.”Severus took one look at the tiny black kitten Crookshanks had brought into their cottage, and knew he had to draw the line. Hermione loved adopting pet causes and helpless people, and life was already chaotic enough with her bleeding heart tendencies without her familiar getting into it at the same time.There was a tiny mew, and the kitten looked up at Severus with round pleading eyes. Severus felt something constrict in his chest. He pretended it was indigestion.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 21
Kudos: 101
Collections: Hearts and Cauldrons Gift Exchange





	Crookshanks' Christmas Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morbidmuch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbidmuch/gifts).



> Many thanks to [turtle_wexler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtle_wexler/pseuds/turtle_wexler) for the beta, as well as MM for posting all those kitten gifs.  
> 💖

“No.”

Severus took one look at the tiny black kitten Crookshanks had brought into their cottage, and knew he had to draw the line. Hermione loved adopting pet causes and helpless people, and life was already chaotic enough with her bleeding heart tendencies without her familiar getting into it at the same time.

There was a tiny mew, and the kitten looked up at Severus with round pleading eyes. Severus felt something constrict in his chest. He pretended it was indigestion and steeled himself.

“We cannot take care of another animal in this household. Do you not remember how difficult it was for you to get fed for the past week?” Severus whispered heatedly to Crookshanks.

The past week had been hectic; Hermione had got very caught up in drafting a new Mermish protection law, and Severus had got very involved in his potions experiments. Crookshanks had got fed up with trying to catch their attention and had left the small bony remains of the food he’d hunted for himself on their kitchen table twice in protest, and Hermione had only noticed the second time.

The look Crookshanks gave him could only be categorized as disdainful as he trotted over to his cat bed, taking the kitten with him by the scruff of its neck.

Severus followed, headache blooming, and tried to think of how best to negotiate with the familiar.

“We can take the chi—the kitten to the Weasley’s. They have a giant brood of small children and adults dedicated to the care of the young to take care of the kitten. I am not heartless; I know it is cold and dangerous out there for a kitten. But we _cannot_ keep it,” Severus said, eyes boring into Crookshank’s steady gaze, _willing_ the half-Kneazle to understand. “You can even go over to visit, but we are at capacity here.” Severus crossed his arms and tried to stare down the cat.

Crookshanks let out a noise that sounded like a snort and somehow maneuvered the kitten into Severus’ arms. It was alarming how small and fragile the tiny creature was, and up close Severus noted that its lower muzzle was white, as if it had dipped its chin in milk.

He really hoped that Hermione would not bear witness to this. He liked to think that he had an understanding of sorts with Crookshanks these days, but he knew that all that would go to hell in a handbasket if Hermione left the study and saw—

“Oh my goodness.” There was a gasp. Severus closed his eyes, and enjoyed the last days of pretending that he wasn’t outnumbered in his own home.

He sighed. “Hermione,” he started to say, and then stopped again.

Hermione navigated her way around the living room cluttered with surfaces that housed stacks of books, and crouched down by Severus, reaching her hand out for the kitten to sniff.

Severus mentally prepared himself for months of being woken up in the middle of the night and protecting the cottage from an energetic kitten. He didn’t get enough sleep as it was (though sometimes it was for pleasant reasons now that he and Hermione lived together); his life did not need another vulnerable being to take care of.

Snow was falling gently outside their window, and the cottage was silent save for the sound of the fire crackling underneath the mantle. Severus slowly forced himself to look back at Crookshanks—the betrayer—and Hermione, and found her with suspiciously teary eyes.

“Hermione,” he started, and failed to speak again.

“Where did you come from?” she cooed at the bundle in his arms, and Severus felt his eye twitch a little. Perhaps, he could admit to himself, he just did not want to divide more of Hermione’s attention with a creature who was not himself. Crookshanks was an elderly cat who did not need much attention and had finally learned to sleep separately from his mistress, but Severus could not compete with a kitten.

“Your familiar brought the kitten in,” he said, resigned to a future of playing second fiddle to a feline.

It was then that he noticed Hermione was looking at him with a strange expression on her face. He couldn’t place it for a moment, as he had never seen her send that expression to him when he would occasionally stroke Crookshanks. It was confusing him for a moment but then— _oh._ Severus fought the urge to smirk.

Perhaps having an extra small furry creature around wouldn’t be so bad.

Later on, after a particularly pleasant afternoon spent with Hermione in bed, as he stroked the kitten that Crookshanks had dropped onto his chest and enjoyed the tiny purrs emanating from its tiny chest, he decided that it really was not so bad. The kitten was, he could admit to himself, a...very adorable creature. Crookshanks had taken to caring for the small animal, and Hermione had started to remember to stop to eat so she could feed it. It had not been quite the nightmare that he had been anticipating.

And besides, the terrified look on Potter’s face as he sat stroking a tiny kitten while he smiled was quite amusing.

**Author's Note:**

> As requested, art of Severus staring down Crookshanks with his arms folded:


End file.
